April 02, 2009

Garmin Forerunner 310XT and 405CX introduced

Forerunner-310XT-405CX

Garmin has announced two new GPS fitness watches, the Forerunner 310XT and Forerunner 405CX.

Garmin Forerunner 310XT

The 310XT (pictured above at right) is a waterproof, multi-sport unit, featuring 20 hours of battery life. Waterproof to a depth of 50 meters, the 310XT is clearly aimed at multi-sport athletes. It can categorize the various activities in a workout and log transition time between them. The 310XT uses both audible signals and/or vibration alerts, so you won’t miss your milestones.

It will be sold on its own or with a new waterproof, soft-strap heart rate monitor, which is expected to be available this summer. While it won’t transmit heart-rate data underwater, the strap can be worn under a wetsuit to shave down transition time. The suggested retail price is $349.99.

Garmin Forerunner 405CX

The 405CX, pictured above at left, brings increased accuracy in heart rate-based calorie computation. Using algorithms developed by exercise scientists and world-class athletes, the Forerunner 405CX monitors the micro changes in a user’s heart rate and uses that detailed information to better calculate the number of calories burned during aerobic activity. The 405CX comes with two additional form-fitting bands to accommodate large or small wrists. The suggested retail price is $369.99.

ANT+ wireless technology

Both units use ANT+ technology to automatically send workout data to a user’s PC or Mac wirelessly.

EDIT: The 310XT and 405CX are both expected to be available in the second quarter of this year.

There is no word yet on availability or price, though I will update this post should that info or product links become available later today.

Apr 2, 2009 2:00:00 AM | Garmin, Hardware

7 Comments

Olivia

I love the speed of Garmin refreshing its product in just within a year, unlike Suunto GPS watches. I am frustrated with the current features in Suunto X10 GPS Watch, they are always the same. Can Suunto please open up and start listening to the public and build a feature-packed adventure watch for the world now? The people wants a normal-sized watch with new and improved features, which are as follows:
1. Wireless pc-watch/ watch-watch connectivity/ANT(like garmin Forerunner 405)
2. Weather station(missing humidity hygrometer)
3. Walkie talkie(eg. WRL-00560 module or VHF module, extensible antenna/antenna around the strap)
4. Solar
5. UV sensor(measure UV index, appears in numerous watches now)
7. Thermometer(facing outward, does not interfere with the wearer’s body temperature)
8. Touch bezel(like Garmin Forerunner 405, to omit spaces for buttons/no bulkiness)
9. Simple LED Torch(very useful during camp)
10. High frequency mosquito repeller(to target tropical adventurer)
12. Laser ignition system(e.g.15mW laser, to start fire autonomously)
13. Thick Sapphire glass with rubber damper side(rubber to absorb shock)
14. Titanium casing, nylon strap(durable)
15. UV germicidal LED(Cure water for drinking)
16. Vibration alert/ alarm(silent operation, e.g. hunting, fishing)
17. Flash memory
18. Voice recording for fast book-logging(useful when resting after hike, especially when bringing paper is inconvenient and you are tired)
19. Simple voice operation for fast menu-switching(e.g. "up", "down", "enter", "back")

I hope everyone loves these and vote for me => better watch.

Posted by: Olivia | April 03, 2009 at 11:44 AM

Rich Owings

I think you left a few things out! ;-)

Posted by: Rich Owings | April 04, 2009 at 09:32 AM

Derek

I have a Garmin 305 and the most useful addition to it would have been bluetooth audio, or to extend the ant protocol to allow remote notification.
The 305 beeps audibly for alarms, but it would be more useful to me to have it able to mix an alert/alarm into the mp3 player sound stream I'm using at the time.
Right now I have the choice of either paying attention to music or to the gps because I can't do both.

Posted by: Derek | April 08, 2009 at 01:26 PM

Rich Owings

Great suggestion!

Posted by: Rich Owings | April 09, 2009 at 10:55 AM

Brie Rabon

Just got the 405cx yesterday and just to let everyone know...it's awesome! I'm a small woman and the included small size velcro wrist strap is perfect and makes this bulky watch incredibly comfy!
One down side I found out was that the new 405cx won't be able to upload to Garmin Connect till about late May but that's what you get for buying right out of the shoot - the desktop software works great so I don't know if I'll even use the Garmin Connect web software but FYI.
I don't think there is really that much difference between the 405 and the 405cx but I'd have paid the extra $30 for the new wrist straps anyway and I like blue. I do kind of miss how my Nike+ used to over-estimate my calories burned...oh well, one less yogurt per day won't kill me I guess :)

Posted by: Brie Rabon | April 09, 2009 at 02:37 PM

Rich Owings

Thanks for sharing! I hope you'll post a full review sometime.

Posted by: Rich Owings | April 10, 2009 at 08:25 AM

Chad Bissonette

I cannot believe the 405CX is not waterPROOF! As a triathlete this would be a great watch for running and biking but not the swim I guess. the 310XT is just hideous looking. The 405 I would wear everyday like my Polar 625X if it was waterproof. I am tempted to get it for the touch bezel but the waterproof thing is no good for me.

Posted by: Chad Bissonette | May 06, 2009 at 01:43 PM

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